“Listen Sulan. How come Max wanted to marry you? That part I find a little odd. Here is a guy who obviously wasn’t happy in his marriage. He was screwing around with not only you but a harem that would’ve made the Ottoman Empire proud. So why was he willing to settle down again now after the first attempt was clearly a disaster? I’m just curious?”
As much as I’m the café philosopher I just don’t get people sometimes. They complicate their lives unnecessarily. Sulan looked out the window at something. Maybe a bird. Maybe the people going by fascinated her, or maybe she was thinking how best to answer me. After a while. After I’d finished my biscotti and drank some tea she turned to me and sipped at her tea. Over the rim of her mug she spoke to me. I could not see her mouth move. But I could hear the words.
“I’m pregnant Anthony. Three months along and Max wanted to do it right this time. Maybe you don’t understand. But he was getting to the place in his life where he was feeling his mortality I think.” Ironic I thought. “And I guess he recognized the mistake of his first marriage and how it had cost him deeply. Especially the relationship with his son. Maybe you don’t think much of him, but despite all of his faults he was trying to do the best under the circumstances. And maybe in hindsight he had failed miserably, but that’s the beauty of hindsight. It’s always twenty twenty. Have you met his son?”
Her gaze was steady and searching. I let it search for a while. I picked my mug back up and spoke to her over the rim. So she couldn’t see my mouth move, but she could hear my voice.
“Yes I’ve met Stephen. We had a real heart to heart. Tell me then, seeing as you know so much. How come he never just divorced his wife years ago?”
I put down my mug and she got the hint. She put hers down too.
“It’s not that simple,” she said. Actually it is, I thought. “He cared for his wife. She had born him a son after all. And she had helped him during the lean times too. He was loyal in a way Anthony, and maybe you couldn’t see it.” I shook my head, no I can’t, I said. “Well he was. He wanted to try and keep a sense of family together for his son. Obviously, as I said, in hindsight that was a poor decision. But it was not malicious. In fact all his decisions were based form a good center. He wanted to try and do right by everyone within his own fallibility.”
I was looking at the reincarnation of Mother Theresa.
“So tell me. You were going to be okay with marrying a guy that was screwing around. Who was likely gonna be screwing around on you too? Help me understand this please.”
She shook her head at me and embraced her tea cup with her hands on the table knitted together. Her forearms creating a V towards me.
“This is what I’m trying to tell you. He was trying to make a change. From what I know, and I believe this to be true. He had stopped seeing anyone else about a month ago. And that was this woman who worked for Angels from Heaven. I think her name was Ruby. Anyway, that’s not important. What’s important is that I believed him. He was sincerely trying to make a change. He vowed to me he didn’t want to make the same mistake with this child I was carrying. You have to understand Anthony, I was probably the first person who really understood him.” Or maybe the thirty first. “We spoke at length about this. He didn’t know how to make it right with Stephen. That’s another reason he was going to change the will. To try and make it better for him. So that if he got off his addiction he’d be able to do whatever he really wanted. It’s not that easy to change Anthony, just like that. He was really making efforts. I could see it. He loved me and he loved his children. Stephen, and the one I’m now carrying.”
She started to tear up. She took her napkin and dabbed at her eyes. I was trying to be sympathetic but it wasn’t easy. I was thinking about how we create our own miseries so often. Like I’d said before.
“You must have really loved him?” That was the best I could do. She nodded and dabbed at her eyes again. Then she scrunched up the napkin in her hand.
“Yes I did. And now he’ll no longer get to see his child grow up. He’ll not be able to make the amends he wanted to.” She sighed. Took a sip of tea, put the cup down and looked at the balled up napkin in her hands. I gave her a moment.
“Listen Sulan. Who do you think might have done this to him?”
She looked up at me. Her eyes were puffy and red. Wet.
“I don’t know for certain. His wife or the lawyer, Mr. Logan. Maybe both of them.”
“Do you know that the groundskeeper Lorenzo was murdered too?”
“No I didn’t. That’s terrible. Maybe he knew who killed Max. Maybe that’s why they then killed him?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. Tell me about these threatening calls you’ve been receiving.”
“Well they started just yesterday. And I’ve received three of them. One in the early morning yesterday. Around nine a.m. Then again yesterday at around two p.m. and then this morning again around nine a.m.”
“And is it the same person? Do they say the same things each time?”
She nodded. “I think it’s the same person. It’s hard to tell. The voice is sort of digitized. You know how they interview people on TV sometimes and don’t want to let you know who it is. It sounded like that. It was a man’s voice, overly masculine. Each time they said something to the effect of. ‘Be careful who you tell anything to. You remember what happened to Max. We can make it happen to you too. If you want your money that you’re entitled to you’ll say nothing to the police. Do you understand? You’ve got more to think about than just yourself.’ And then they hang up.”
“Sounds like they might know you’re pregnant. Do you think they do?”
“Yes. Especially that last sentence. And they emphasize it each time. And they might have said something like ‘okay’ afterwards, like they want me to understand they know.”
“So who knows you’re pregnant?”
She bit her lower lip in thought. “Um, I do,” and then she giggled again. “Max knew of course and my doctor. I hadn’t told anyone yet. We just wanted to make it well into our second trimester before we said anything to our friends. Max said he had told Vanessa and they’d had a huge argument about it. He was trying to explain to her how he wanted to try and make things right and that he felt guilty about having tried to do the right thing with Stephen which clearly had blown up badly.
She was livid and called him all sorts of names and told him that it was going to be over his dead body that he would divorce her unless she got half. Anyway, he said that he knew she was screwing his lawyer and that was grounds for divorce with nothing for her. She said he could never prove it and they sort of left it there.
That’s as I understand it. I guess that would have been about three weeks ago or so. Then a couple of weeks ago Vanessa came to Max’s studio office where I work and tore a strip off of me. She told me to get lost. Said she’d give me five hundred thousand to get going on my way. I said I loved Max and we were going to start a new life together. Not like her shell of a marriage. She threatened to kill me and my child and then slapped me across the face. And she told me ‘we’d see about that’, meaning Max and I getting married. I was really shook up about it and wanted to call the police because she’d threatened my life, but Max thought she was just really upset because he’d told her he was leaving her for me and that she was just a little hot tempered that’s all.”
“Mmm, sounds like that call was made by Luke then. Him and Vanessa would be the only other ones who knew about your pregnancy. You certainly aren’t showing.”
She nodded, “I know,” she said and then she teared up again. “I should’ve called the police back then. Maybe Max wouldn’t have ended up dead.”
I gave her some time. She dabbed at her eyes with the balled up napkin. She straightened out a corner of it and used that part. She did love him. That was apparent. I didn’t understand it. Maybe I’m just jaded that way. Maybe all the blood and guts had turned my stomach. Or maybe I was just getting tired of foibles.
; “Do you feel safe for the next day or so Sulan?”
I looked at her. She was a petite attractive woman. I didn’t think that Luke or Vanessa would follow through on their threats. Not at this stage. That would surely identify them. But again, you never know. Sulan was carrying a new heir to Max’s fortune. Vanessa would probably want to see it go to Stephen rather than Sulan’s child. Even if it mean she ended up in jail. The money would still be closer to her than with Sulan. But if I was a betting man I’d think the odds on that were long.
Sulan looked at me smiled. It was the bravest face I’d seen the last couple of days.
“No, it’s okay. I feel safe for now. I’m going to go and spend the next couple of nights at a friend’s place. Someone that Max knew but didn’t know where she lives. So I don’t think they’ll be able to find me. I don’t know if they’ll really do anything to me. I mean they’ve killed a couple of people, but I think there’s too much heat on everybody now that the police are involved. I think I’ll be okay. Do you agree?”
“Yes I do. And it’s my plan to lure Vanessa into a meeting with me right away on the pretext of getting her to help me with coaxing out the killer. So if I can manage that she’ll be tied up for the next little while. That should give you time to get where you need to go. I think Luke will be unlikely to do anything without her. That’s usually the case with a pair of murderers. They don’t like to make independent decisions. So yeah, I think you’ll be fine.”
She nodded and put on another brave face. This one fit a bit better. She was gaining her composure.
“Listen Sulan. I’m sorry for your loss. Truly.”
She looked at me and smiled. It was as weak as the green tea I was finishing. But it was heartfelt.
“Thanks Anthony. You get her. You get her to confess. They need to pay for this.”
“That’s the idea,” I said smiling back.
She looked at the balled up napkin and placed it on her side plate. She was smiling slightly at it. “Thanks for your help Anthony. It’s nice to know that there are good people out there at times like this.” She spoke to the table and then looked up at me when she was done. Her eyes were brighter now. They’d lost their gloss of sadness.
I smiled at her and got up as she did. I took a last sip of tea. It was bitter in my mouth. Like this whole affair. Like the taste this whole mess was leaving with me.
“Let me walk you to your car,” I said and she agreed. She wasn’t parked too far from me. Down on Evergreen Street facing south. I held her door for her. She drove a new model silver Mercedes SLK 350. I know that because I saw the badge on its rear end. And it’s eye candy too. I guess Max had started distributing his assets anyway.
I watched her drive off and turn east on National Avenue. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue. It could’ve been a lake. I looked at the house I was standing across from. A big house with a large front. I’d say that three to one it had a pool in the backyard. I got to thinking that maybe money doesn’t buy you happiness. But sometimes I wouldn’t mind giving it a try. I walked back up towards my car. My phone started vibrating in my pant’s pocket.
TWENTY-FIVE
Trap For A Fox-y Lady
I fished the phone out and looked at its face. It was a number I didn’t want to talk too. It was the ex’s number. I thought about it for a moment. I was this close to wrapping up this case. I didn’t need any grief from the ex. But maybe she was recanting. Maybe she was gonna play nice and let Aibhilin come to my opening. I’m not a gambler but I figured I needed a long shot here. I gritted my teeth. Put a smile in my mouth I almost choked on and answered the phone.
“Hello,” I said, when I really wanted to say, yes, what do you want.
“Daddy?”
It was my daughter. I felt better already. But she didn’t sound too happy.
“What’s wrong honey? Are you crying?”
Her voice sounded a bit choked up. That got me riled up already. In my mind I was already driving over to Racquel’s.
“No,” she said and then her voice cracked into a sob.
“What is it honey? Tell me what’s wrong?”
“Mommy won’t let me come and visit with you when you’re having your show.”
She shuddered out a sob and my blood boiled in my veins. I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath. I needed to be cool for my daughter. I’d deal with Racquel later.
“That’s okay my angel. Mommy told me that you and her and Artero are going to Disneyland instead. That’ll be lots of fun.”
“But I want to come and be with you for your show. Mommy won’t let me. She says that Artero has already paid for the trip and we can’t cancel it now. I wanna runaway and come and stay with you daddy. Can I?”
“You’re always welcome to come and stay with me honey. You know you’ve always got a place to stay with daddy. But you know sweetheart, daddy’s gonna have lots more shows of my art. There’ll be lots of other one’s to come too.”
That didn’t come out quite right. What I wanted to say was I’m coming to get you right now honey. But I knew that’d just make things a whole lot worse for me and Aibhilin.
“I know daddy. But I want to come and see this one that you’re in.”
She had stopped sobbing but her voice was still cracked. Like broken eggs on the floor. She was pulling at my heart strings. My baby girl. Nothing I wouldn’t do for her. She was breaking my heart.
“You remember the last time your mommy and I took you to Disneyland. When you were seven years old? You loved it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it again.”
“But it means I’ll miss your show and I don’t want to miss your show.”
“I know sweetheart. And I would love more than anything for you to be there with me. But daddy’s not upset that you can’t be. Sometimes life gives us tough decisions to make. And I know you want to be able to make a different decision on this one. But sometimes we have to do things that we’d rather not do. Like I’d rather you came with me to my show. But I know that your mommy made this trip before I could invite you to the show. So I understand that you need to go to that. It’ll be okay my angel. Daddy loves you no matter what. And I know you’ll be thinking of me and I’ll be thinking of you too. I’m still going to see you in a couple of days time right? You’re still going to come and stay with me this weekend?”
“Yes daddy.”
“That’s great, because we’re going to have a whole bunch of fun.”
“What are you doing now daddy?”
“Well I’m just standing at my car talking to my beautiful baby girl.”
“Are you working daddy?”
Seemed she’d gotten over her difficulty with not coming to my show.
“I am honey. Why, is there anything I can do for you?”
“No, I’m just wondering what kind of work you’re doing today.”
“Well I’m going to go speak to a lady about her husband. She was pretty mean to her husband so I want to go and find out why.”
I heard some noise in the background.
“Daddy, mommy want’s to talk to you. Bye, I love you.”
Before I could say the same Racquel was on the phone. I kicked the front tire of my car. I took a deep breath.
“Why are you trying to make trouble for us Anthony?”
“Because you’ve made my life miserable Racquel.” I immediately regretted saying that. Sometimes my temper gets the better of me.
“That’s really mature. I don’t want you upsetting our daughter, calling her and getting her all upset because she can’t come to your show okay. We’re the adults here and I told you how it was going to be.”
“See Racquel, there you go making an ass out of you and me with your assumptions. Aibhilin actually called me and I was just trying to make her feel better about going on this trip with you. That’s your problem Racquel, you’re too damn quick to make assumptions.”
Big sigh on the other end. Like a big hot wind from the Santa Ana mountains
.
“Alright Anthony. But I told you, she’s coming to Disneyland with us. Besides, you’ll probably be tied up on some big case and she’ll be left alone like the last time to fend for herself.”
“That was one time okay. One time. Jesus Christ Racquel, I’m trying to make a living here. An honest living okay, not like you and Arty.”
“It’s Artero Anthony. And he works harder than you do and he provides a better living for us than you ever did.”
“Apparently Racquel. Don’t be surprised if he’s working hard with this secretary. Don’t come bitching to me if you find he’s started to provide a decent living to someone else. As you sow you’ll reap Racquel.”
“You were never there.” Her temperature was up. I could gauge it by the tone in her voice.
“Yeah and I’m not here now either. I’ll see you on Friday. I’ve gotta go.”
“Fine,” she said and hung up on me. The phone just when dead. No satisfaction as she banged the receiver down on the cradle. Probably because she was using a cordless. I let out a growl and kicked the tire again. Then I slapped the roof of my car. I didn’t feel better. I needed to cool down if I was going to lure Vanessa into my trap. I started reciting Sylvia Plath’s A Lesson in Vengeance. When I go to the last stanza I started to feel immeasurably better.
“Still, latter-day sages/ Smiling at this behavior, subjugating their enemies/ Neatly, nicely, by disbelief or bridges/ Never grip as the grandsires did, that devil who chuckles/ from grain of the marrow and the river-bed grains.”
There was no one to applaud. No one to hear that angst in my voice. But I spoke it loud nonetheless. And I felt better for it. She was speaking to me from the inside of an oven. I’d grasp that devil and never let her go. I called the operator and got the number for Raffles. I called them. Maybe they had a room. Maybe they had a room with a killer inside. Maybe just a room with a killer view. Maybe I was gambling. But maybe I’d be lucky. A perky young woman answered the phone. I decided against any facetiousness.
“Vanessa Ernst please.”
Anthony Carrick Hardboiled Murder Mysteries: Box Set (Books 1 - 3) Page 28